"forest under protection, for which it hopes to secure compensation through emerging markets for forest carbon. The main Congolese environmental organization working to save the forests is an NGO called OCEAN, which serves as the link between international outfits like Greenpeace and local community groups in the concessions. Congo Basin The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system"
"truncation of ""nzadi o nzere"" (""river swallowing rivers""). The river was known as ""Zaire"" during the 16th and 17th centuries; ""Congo"" seems to have replaced ""Zaire"" gradually in English usage during the 18th century, and ""Congo"" is the preferred English name in 19th-century literature, although references to ""Zaire"" as the name used by the natives (i.e. derived from Portuguese usage) remained common. In 1992, the Sovereign National Conference voted to change the name of the country to the ""Democratic Republic of the Congo"", but the change was not made. The country's name was restored by President Laurent-Désiré Kabila following the"
"and ""Congo"" is the preferred English name in 19th-century literature, although references to ""Zahir"" or ""Zaire"" as the name used by the inhabitants remained common. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo are named after it, as was the previous Republic of the Congo which had gained independence in 1960 from the Belgian Congo. The Republic of Zaire during 1971–1997 was also named after the river, after its name in French and Portuguese. The Congo's drainage basin covers , an area larger than India. The Congo's discharge at its mouth ranges from , with an"
"Congo River populated by pygmy peoples, and eventually Bantu peoples migrated there and founded the Kingdom of Kongo. Belgium, France, and Portugal later established colonial control over the entire region by the late 19th century. The General Act of the Berlin Conference of 1885 gave a precise definition to the ""conventional basin"" of the Congo, which included the entire actual basin plus some other areas. The General Act bound its signatories to neutrality within the conventional basin, but this was not respected during the First World War. Congo is a traditional name for the equatorial Middle Africa that lies between"
"the Congo River from Kinshasa (then known as Leopoldville), the capital of the Congo. Later known as the Compagnie du Congo Belge, the Abir Congo Company harvested natural rubber in the 19th and early 20th century. It was granted a large concession with the rights to tax the inhabitants, taken in the form of rubber. The collection system revolved around a series of trading posts along the two main rivers in the concession – the Lopori and the Maringa. Each post was commanded by a European agent and manned with armed sentries to enforce taxation and punish any rebels. ABIR"
"Congo which encompasses the vast majority of the river's watershed. (The one exception to this is the brief sequence of Livingstone Falls.) The reason for this is that the Second Congo War (1998–2003) was underway during filming (1999–2000). The series forms part of the Natural History Unit's ""Continents"" strand and was preceded by ""Andes to Amazon"" in 2000 and succeeded by ""Wild Africa"" later that year in 2001. Formerly called the “Zaire” (Kongo ""nzere"", ""the river that swallows all rivers""), the Congo's origin is traced to the Chambeshi (discovered by Livingstone) in Zambia. The Kalambo River has one of Africa’s"
"Below Kongolo, the river becomes unnavigable as it enters the narrow gorge of Portes d'Enfer (""Gates of Hell""). Between Kasongo and Kibombo, the river is navigable for about , before rapids make it unnavigable again between Kibombo and Kindu-Port-Empain. From Kindu up to the Boyoma Falls at Ubundu, the stream is navigable again for more than 300 kilometers. The Boyoma Falls or Stanley Falls are made up of seven cataracts, over a stretch of of the river, between Ubundu and Kisangani. The river's end is marked after the seventh cataract, near Kisangani, where its name becomes the Congo River. The"
"mentioned in 1535. Abraham Ortelius in his world map of 1564 labeled as ""Manicongo"" the city at the mouth of the river. The tribal names in ""Kongo"" possibly derive from a word for a public gathering or tribal assembly. The modern name of the Kongo people or ""Bakongo"" was introduced in the early 20th century. The name ""Zaire"" is from a Portuguese adaptation of a Kikongo word, (""river""), a truncation of (""river swallowing rivers""). The river was known as ""Zaire"" during the 16th and 17th centuries; ""Congo"" seems to have replaced ""Zaire"" gradually in English usage during the 18th century,"
"own personality and one's own values and of being at home in one's culture. In line with the dictates of authenticity, the name of the country was changed to the Republic of Zaire on 27 October 1971, and that of the armed forces to Zairian Armed Forces (Forces Armées Zaïroises—FAZ). This decision was curious, given that the name ""Congo"", which referred both to the river Congo and to the ancient Kongo Empire, was fundamentally ""authentic"" to pre-colonial African roots, while ""Zaire"" is in fact a Portuguese corruption of another African word, ""Nzere"" (""river"", by Nzadi o Nzere, ""the river that"
"Kouilou-Niari River The Kouilou-Niari River — also spelled Kwilu, Kwila, or Kwil — is the most important river flowing to the Atlantic Ocean of the Republic of the Congo coast. Moreover, it entire drainage area is completely in the Republic of the Congo. The river is called the Kouilou River while flowing in the coastal region of the Kouilou till the Sounda gorges. Upstream from the Gorges, its name is the Niari River and it flows through the Niari Valley. The river combines with the Louessé, the Loudima and the Bouenza River and eventually flows into the Atlantic Ocean. It"
"the head of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL) militia, led a popular rebellion against Mobutu. With rebel forces successfully making gains beyond the east, Mobutu fled the country, leaving Kabila's forces in charge as the country restored its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo the following year. Mobutu died within four months after he fled into exile in Morocco. The state's name, ""Zaire"" was derived from the name of the Congo River, sometimes called ""Zaire"" in Portuguese, adapted from the Kongo word ""nzere"" or ""nzadi"" (""river that swallows all rivers""). ""Congo"" seems"
"Congo River basins, along South Sudan's border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. The main tributaries being the Sue River (itself sometimes called the Jur), Busseri River, Wau River, and Numatinna River. The spelling and precise meaning of these river names differ among sources. The tributaries come together near Wau, the capital of the state of Western Bahr el Ghazal. Below Wau the Jur River bends eastward, entering the swampy Sudd region. Due to the nature of the wetlands it is not always clear whether one river flows into another or merely merges in"
"the Congo River but obtaining the huge hinterland, the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). Hereby Leopold II obtained control via his International African Society and later the International Congolese Society, so-called philanthropic organizations who hired the British explorer Henry Morton Stanley to establish its authority. This resulted in the creation of the Congo Free State, the private empire of Leopold II. On November 15, 1908 the Belgian parliament annexed the colony, the reign of Leopold II over Congo being discredited. On the north bank of the river arrived the French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, born in the"
"the point where Livingstone had left it in July 1871. Between November 1876 and August 1877, Stanley and his men navigated the Lualaba up to and beyond the point where it turned sharply westward, away from the Nile, identifying itself as the Congo River. Having succeeded with this second objective, they then traced the river to the sea. During this expedition, Stanley used sectional boats and dug-out canoes to pass the large cataracts that separated the Congo into distinct tracts. These boats were transported around the rapids before being rebuilt to travel on the next section of river. In passing"
"renaming of the nation from the Republic of the Congo to Zaire, a Portuguese mispronunciation of the Kikongo word ""nzere"" or ""nzadi"", which translates as ""the river that swallows all rivers."" It is generally unknown why the head of state chose a Portuguese colonial name instead of an authentic Congolese name. A biography about the President by ""Le Monde"" journalist Jean-Pierre Langellier, however, traces the naming of the currency ""zaire"" back to a dinner Mobutu had with his economic adviser Jacques de Groote and Belgian anthropoligst Jan Vansina, where the latter came up with the term as it believably designates,"
"Congo River, and reaching the Benadir. The Italian penetration in the Benadir coast of Somalia began in 1885 by a commercial company (called ""Compagnia del Benadir"") that leased the Sultan territory of Obbia. The territory embraced between 4 degrees latitude north and the Juba river, that made border with the British East Africa, also administered by a private company. The main river was the Ueli Xebeli (Wadi Shebeli) and the major cities were Mogadishu, Merka, Brava (Barawa) and Warseij. The Benadir colony was renamed on 16 March 1905 and became the Italian Somalia with the district Italian administration directly in"
"""Congo"" in their names, the Republic of the Congo is sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville, as opposed to Congo-Kinshasa (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known from 1971 to 1997 as Zaïre, the capital of which is Kinshasa). Kinshasa lies on the southern bank of the Congo, directly across from Brazzaville. This is the only place in the world where two national capital cities are on opposite banks of a river, within sight of each other. Since the mid-19th century the two cities have been rivals in trade, sports and power. There have been proposals to connect the two capitals by a"
"other adventures in other continents. Pongo River (Guinea) The Pongo River or Rio Pongo is a river that flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Boffa, Guinea. Its source is located in Fouta Djallon. The surrounding area has also been known as ""Pongoland"" or ""Bongo Country"". The estuary has been designated as a Ramsar site since 1992. Rio Pongo became a significant area for the setting up factories in the transatlantic slave trade. Sir George Collier listed 76 surnames of families involved in the slave trade in 1820. He was commodore of the British West Africa Squadron between 1818 and 1821"
"President Mobutu renamed the country the Republic of Zaire in 1971 and required citizens to adopt African names and drop their French-language ones. The name comes from Portuguese, adapted from the Kongo word nzere or nzadi (""river that swallows all rivers""). Among other changes, Leopoldville became Kinshasa and Katanga Shaba. Relative peace and stability prevailed until 1977 and 1978 when Katangan Front for Congolese National Liberation rebels, based in Angola, launched the Shaba I and II invasions into the southeast Shaba region. These rebels were driven out with the aid of French and Belgian paratroopers plus Moroccan troops. An Inter-African"
"consisting of seven cataracts spanning which they had to bypass overland. It took them to February 7 to reach the end of the falls. Here Stanley learned that the river was called ""Ikuta Yacongo"", proving to him that he had reached the Congo, and that the Lualaba did not feed the Nile. From this point, the tribes were no longer cannibals, but possessed firearms, apparently as a result of Portuguese influence. Some four weeks and later he reached Stanley Pool (now Pool Malebo), the site of the present day cities Kinshasa and Brazzaville. Further downstream were the Livingstone Falls, misnamed"
"Kolenté River The Kolenté River (also known as the Great Scarcies River) is a river in Guinea and Sierra Leone. The river forms a portion of the international border between the two countries. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Barlo Point, Sierra Leone. In Guinea it is known as the Kolenté and in Sierra Leone it is known as the Great Scarcies. The Little Scarcies River empties into the same bay of the Atlantic Ocean just to the south of the Great Scarcies River. This area was settled by the Temne people who migrated from Futa Jalon to the"
"Pongo River (Guinea) The Pongo River or Rio Pongo is a river that flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Boffa, Guinea. Its source is located in Fouta Djallon. The surrounding area has also been known as ""Pongoland"" or ""Bongo Country"". The estuary has been designated as a Ramsar site since 1992. Rio Pongo became a significant area for the setting up factories in the transatlantic slave trade. Sir George Collier listed 76 surnames of families involved in the slave trade in 1820. He was commodore of the British West Africa Squadron between 1818 and 1821 and as such organised anti-slaving"
"its name from the Kagera River, which flows from Rwanda through northern Tanzania before it enters Lake Victoria, to emerge as the Nile, the longest river in the world. For a period of about five centuries Kagera Region were split into nine different kingdoms with a highly hierarchical society. Before European colonialism, coffee was a traditional crop in the area, used for its stimulant properties and in local cultural rituals. It was during colonial times time that coffee was transformed into a cash crop. Bananas were used as a staple food in the region. Although there was a gender based"
"north. Kolenté River The Kolenté River (also known as the Great Scarcies River) is a river in Guinea and Sierra Leone. The river forms a portion of the international border between the two countries. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Barlo Point, Sierra Leone. In Guinea it is known as the Kolenté and in Sierra Leone it is known as the Great Scarcies. The Little Scarcies River empties into the same bay of the Atlantic Ocean just to the south of the Great Scarcies River. This area was settled by the Temne people who migrated from Futa Jalon to"
"Kolda. The next significant estuary to the south is the Farim River in Guinea-Bissau, and to the north, the River Gambia, namesake of the Gambia. Casamance River The Casamance River flows westward for the most part into the Atlantic Ocean along a path about 200 miles (320 km) in length. However, only 80 miles (130 km) of it are navigable. The Casamance is the principal river of the Kolda, Sédhiou, and Ziguinchor Regions in the southern portion of Senegal between the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. The three regions are also collectively known as Casamance after the river. There is a ferry"
"swallows all the other rivers"", another name of the Congo river). General Mobutu became Mobutu Sésé Seko and forced all his citizens to adopt African names and many cities were also renamed. Some of the conversions are as follows: Additionally, the zaïre was introduced to replace the franc as the new national currency. 100 makuta (singular likuta) equaled one zaïre. The likuta was also divided into 100 sengi. However this unit was worth very little, so the smallest coin was for 10 sengi. Many other geographic name changes had already taken place, between 1966 and 1971. The adoption of Zairian,"
"Congo River from one station to another, the captain became ill and Conrad assumed command. He guided the ship up the tributary Lualaba River to the trading company's innermost station, Kindu, in Eastern Kongo. The story's main narrator, Charles Marlow, has similar experiences to the author himself. When Conrad began to write the novella, eight years after returning from Africa, he drew inspiration from his travel journals. He described ""Heart of Darkness"" as ""a wild story"" of a journalist who becomes manager of a station in the (African) interior and makes himself worshipped by a tribe of savages. Thus described,"
"in different local languages including Kikongo, the ""river which swallows all streams"". Mobutu also renamed the Congo river and the national currency ""Zaire"", and referred to them as """"Les Trois Z—Notre Pays, Notre Fleuve, Notre Monnaie"""" (""The Three Zs—Our Country, Our River, Our Money""). In addition, cities were renamed appropriately (Léopoldville as Kinshasa and Stanleyville as Kisangani). Streets, bridges, and other geographic features, as well as the armed forces, received name changes. Zairians were urged to drop their Western or Christian names in favor of Zairian names. Mobutu changed his own name from Joseph-Désiré Mobutu to Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku"
"Livingstone Falls Livingstone Falls (French, ""Chutes Livingstone"") — named for the explorer David Livingstone — are a succession of enormous rapids on the lower course of the Congo River in west equatorial Africa, downstream from Malebo Pool in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Livingstone Falls consist of a series of rapids dropping in . They start downstream Malebo Pool and end in Matadi in Bas-Congo. The Congo River has the second largest flow rate in the world after the Amazon, which has no falls or rapids (except near its sources). The lowest rapids of Livingstone Falls, therefore, are the"
"the Lualaba River, a major tributary of the Congo. Other European explorers who helped map out the region included Panayotis Potagos (1839-1903), Georg August Schweinfurth (1836–1925) who discovered the Uele River, although he mistakenly thought it flowed into the Chad Basin rather than the Congo, Wilhelm Junker (1840-1892) who corrected Schweinfurth's hydrographical theories, and Oskar Lenz 1848-1925). The Berlin Conference of 1885 agreed that the Nile-Congo watershed would form the boundary between the British Sudan and the Congo State. Under an agreement of 12 May 1894 between Britain and King Leopold II of Belgium, the sphere of influence of Leopold's"
"The city was known first as Falls Station (or ""the Post Stanley Falls"" or ""The Falls"" or simply ""Boyoma"" the African name of Boyoma Falls) and then with Belgian colonization of the area, it grew into a settlement called Stanleyville (after the explorer Henry Morton Stanley). A city terminus of steamer navigation on the Congo River, the town began as a Belgian trading post. It has been the major centre of the northern Congo since the late 19th century. Stanley left Mr. Binnie, an engineer and a Scotsman, in charge to trade with the local people and to represent the"
"Congo River slave trade only went to a small number of traders, this aspect of the trade provided some benefit to local producers and consumers. Various forms of slavery were practiced in diverse ways in different communities of West Africa prior to European trade. With the development of the trans-Saharan slave trade and the economies of gold in the western Sahel, a number of the major states became organized around the slave trade, including the Ghana Empire, the Mali Empire, and Songhai Empire. However, other communities in West Africa largely resisted the slave trade. The Mossi Kingdoms tried to take"
"inhabitants, the Kongo people, when they encountered them in the 16th century. The word ""Kongo"" comes from the Kongo language (also called ""Kikongo""). According to American writer Samuel Henry Nelson ""It is probable that the word 'Kongo' itself implies a public gathering and that it is based on the root ""konga"", 'to gather' (trans[itive])."" The modern name of the Kongo people, ""Bakongo"" was introduced in the early 20th century. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been known in the past as, in chronological order, the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, the Republic of Congo-Léopoldville, the Democratic Republic of the"